Synopsis

The first volume in a trilogy of prayer manuals compiled by Publishers Weekly religion editor Phyllis Tickle as a contemporary Book of Hours to guide Christians gently yet authoritatively through the daily offices.

The Divine Hours is the first major literary and liturgical reworking of the sixth-century Benedictine Rule of fixed-hour prayer. This beautifully conceived and thoroughly modern three-volume guide will appeal to the theological novice as well as to the ecclesiastical sophisticate. Making primary use of the Book of Common Prayer and the writings of the Church Fathers, The Divine Hours is also a companion to the New Jerusalem Bible, from which it draws its Scripture readings. The trilogy blends prayer and praise in a way that, while extraordinarily fresh, respects and builds upon the ancient wisdom of Christianity.

The first book in the set, Prayers for Summertime, filled with prayers, psalms, and readings, is one readers will turn to again and again. Compact in size, it is perfect for those seeking greater spiritual depth. As a contemporary Book of Hours, The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime heralds a renewal of the tradition of disciplined daily prayer, and will whet the hunger of a large and eager audience for the follow-up autumn/winter and spring volumes.

Excerpt

Chapter 1

The Gloria

Glory be to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, so it is now and so it shall ever be, world without end. Alleluia.* Amen.

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your Name.

May your kingdom come, and your will be done, on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;

for yours are the kingdom and the power and the glory

forever and ever. Amen.

Compline Prayers for February Are Located on Page 131.

The Following Holy Days Occur in February:

The Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple/

The Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary: February 2

The Feast of St. Mathias the Apostle: February 24

*The Gloria is omitted during Lent by many Christian communities.

"Alleluia" is always omitted from every part of the Church's worship

during Lent; the use of both is restored at Easter.

February

The Morning OfficeTo Be Observed on the Hour or Half Hour

Between 6 and 9 a.m.

The Call to Prayer

Come, let us sing to the Lord;* Let us rejoice this day in the strength of our

salvation.

Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving,* and raise a loud shout to Him with psalms.

The Request for Presence

Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock;* shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.

In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,* stir up your strength and come to help us,

Restore us, O God of hosts;* show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

The Greeting

It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord,* and to sing praises to your Name, O Most High;

To tell of your loving-kindness early in the morning* and of your faithfulness in the night season.

The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust and will not be afraid,* for what can flesh do to me?

A Reading

Jesus taught us, saying: "Treat others as you would like people to treat you. If you love those who love you, what credit can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit can you expect? For even sinners do that much. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to get money back, what credit can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. Instead, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked."

The Refrain

In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust and will not be afraid,* for what can flesh do to me?

I have taken greater delight in the way of your decrees* than in all manner of riches.

I will meditate on your commandments* and give attention to your ways.

My delight is in your statutes;* I will not forget your word.

The Refrain

In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust and will not be afraid,* for what can flesh do to me?

The Gloria

The Lord's Prayer

The Prayer Appointed for the Week

Set me free, O God, from the bondage of my sins, and give me the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to me in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Concluding Prayer of the Church

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

The Midday OfficeTo Be Observed on the Hour or Half Hour

Between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The Call to Prayer

Proclaim with me the greatness of the Lord;* let us exalt his Name together.

The Request for Presence

Lord, hear my prayer,* and let my cry come before you

Incline your ear to me;* when I call, make haste to answer me.

The Greeting

Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;* let those who love your salvation say for ever, "Great is the Lord!"

The Refrain for the Midday Lessons

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart:* I will tell all your

marvelous works.

A Reading

Of Jesus, the Apostle wrote: "It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should, in bringing many sons to glory, make perfect through suffering the leader of their salvation. For consecrator and consecrated are all of the same stock; . . . For it was not the angels that he took to himself; he took to himself the line of Abraham.

The Refrain

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart:* I will tell of all your marvelous works.

The Midday PsalmWe Will Not Fear, Though the Earth Be Moved

God is our refuge and strength,* a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved,* and though the mountains be toppled into the depths of the sea;

Though its waters rage and foam,* and though the mountains tremble at its tumult.

The Lord of hosts is with us;* the God of Jacob is our stronghold.

"Be still, then, and know that I am God;* I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth."

The Lord of hosts is with us;* the God of Jacob is our stronghold.

The Refrain

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart:* I will tell of all your marvelous works.

The Gloria

The Lord's Prayer

The Prayer Appointed for the Week

Set me free, O God, from the bondage of my sins, and give me the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to me in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Concluding Prayer of the Church

Lord, My God, King of heaven and of earth, for this day please direct and sanctify, set right and govern my heart and my body, my sentiments, my words and my actions in conformity with Your law and Your commandments. Thus I shall be able to attain salvation and deliverance, in time and in eternity, by Your help, O Savior of the world, who lives and reigns forever. Amen.

The Vespers OfficeTo Be Observed on the Hour or Half Hour

Between 5 and 8 p.m.

The Call to Prayer

Come let us bow down, and bend the knee* and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.

The Request for Presence

I call upon you, O God, for you will answer me;* incline your ear to me, and hear my words.

The Greeting

You are God: I praise you;* you are the Lord: I acclaim you;

You are the eternal Father:* all creation worships you.

Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:* Father, of majesty unbounded,

your true and only Son,* worthy of all worship,

and the Holy Spirit,* advocate and guide.

As these have been from the beginning,* so they are now and evermore shall be. Alleluia.

The Hymn

Hail to the Lord who comes, comes to his temple gate;

Not with his angel host, not in his kingly state;

No shouts proclaim him nigh, no crowds his coming wait;

But borne upon the throne of Mary's gentle breast,

Watched by her duteous love, in her fond arms at rest,

Thus to his Father's house he comes, the heavenly guest.

There Joseph at her side in reverent wonder stands;

And, filled with holy joy, old Simeon in his hands

Takes up the promised child, the glory of all lands.

O Light of all the earth, your children wait for thee!

Come to your temples here, that we, from sin set free,

Before your Father's face may all presented be!

The Refrain for the Vespers Lessons

O Lord, you are my portion and my cup;* it is you who uphold my lot.

The Vespers PsalmIn Your Paths My Feet Shall Not Stumble

Hear my plea of innocence, O Lord; give heed to my cry;* listen to my prayer, which does not come from lying lips.

I call upon you, O God, for you will answer me;* incline your ear to me and hear my words.

Show me your marvelous loving-kindness,* O Savior of those who take refuge at your right hand from those who rise up against them.

Keep me as the apple of your eye;* hide me under the shadow of your wings,

The Refrain

O Lord, you are my portion and my cup;* it is you who uphold my lot.

The Lord's Prayer

The Prayer Appointed for the Week

Set me free, O God, from the bondage of my sins, and give me the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to me in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Concluding Prayers of the Church

O God, who wonderfully created and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that I may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Lord Jesus, stay with me, for evening is at hand and the day is past; be my companion in the way, kindle my heart, and awaken hope, that I may know you as you are revealed in Scripture and in the breaking of bread. Grant this for the sake of your love toward me. Amen.

The Morning OfficeTo Be Observed on the Hour or Half Hour

Between 6 and 9 a.m.

The Call to Prayer

One day in your courts is better than a thousand in my own room,* and to stand at the threshold of the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.

The Request for Presence

Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;* hearken, O God of Jacob.

The Greeting

The Lord lives! Blessed is my Rock!* Exalted is the God of my salvation!

Therefore will I extol you among the nations, O Lord,* and sing praises to your Name.

The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

The heaven of heavens is the Lord's,* but he entrusted the earth to its peoples.

A ReadingOn February 2, the Church observes the obedience of the Holy Family

to the Law. On that day, the forty-first after Christmas, the Virgin entered the Temple in Jerusalem with Joseph to offer a sacrifice for her purification after childbirth and to present her Son to the Temple priests.

And when the day came for them to be purified in keeping with the Law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord-observing what is written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord-and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is prescribed in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

The Refrain

The heaven of heavens is the Lord's,* but he entrusted the earth to its peoples.

The Morning PsalmLike a Child Upon Its Mother's Breast

O Lord, I am not proud;* I have no haughty looks.

I do not occupy myself with great matters,* or with things that are too hard for me.

But I still my soul and make it quiet, like a child upon its mother's breast;* my soul is quieted within me.

The Refrain

The heaven of heavens is the Lord's,* but he entrusted the earth to its peoples.

Give peace, O Lord, in all the world; for only in you can we live in safety.

The Lord's Prayer

The Prayer Appointed for the Week

Set me free, O God, from the bondage of my sins, and give me the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to me in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Concluding Prayers of the Church

O Almighty and everlasting God, I humbly beseech Your Majesty, that as Your only-begotten Son was this day presented in the Temple in the substance of flesh, so too You would grant that I be presented to You with a purified soul. Through the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

The Midday OfficeTo Be Observed on the Hour or Half Hour

Between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The Call to Prayer

Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;* sing praises to the Lord.

He rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;* he sends forth his voice, his mighty voice.

The Request for Presence

May the glory of the Lord endure for ever;* may the Lord rejoice in all his works.

The Greeting

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight,* O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

About Phyllis Tickle

PHYLLIS TICKLE is Contributing Editor in Religion for Publishers Weekly. One of America's most respected authorities on religion, she is frequently interviewed for both print and electronic media and is a regular guest on PBS's Religion & Ethics Newsweekly. The author of more than two dozen books, including the recently published The Divine Hours, she lives in Lucy, Tennessee.

Praise

Praise

“The Divine Hours is simply the best book for people who want to work prayer into the fabric of their daily life.” —Bert Ghezzi, author of Voices of the Saints

“A welcome remedy for the increasing number of lay Christians who have rediscovered the daily offices . . . Tickle puts each day’s prayers, psalms, readings, and refrains—everything you need—in one place . . . The rhythm that Tickle’s book establishes gives one a stronger sense of participating in an ancient, worldwide but very personal liturgy.”—Nora Gallagher, beliefnet.com and author of Things Seen and Unseen: A Year Lived in Faith